Special session — Mixed methods in engineering education: Developing research questions and mixing tables

The aim of this special session is to re-introduce the concept of “mixing” as a part of a mixed methods study design. Engineering education researchers are increasingly choosing mixed methods for their study designs, but may not be obtaining the full benefit from their use. In order to highlight specific aspects of the definition of mixed methods research, groups will establish a qualitative, quantitative and “mixing” research questions using the topic of Engineering Student Retention. Through collaborative development of the mixing research question, participants will be exposed to various ways to integrate qualitative and quantitative data. After discussing the combinations of qualitative, quantitative and mixing research questions in the large group, participant teams will sketch out possible mixing tables that integrate their qualitative and quantitative data. Creation of the mixing tables will further explore the integration possibilities, allowing participants to explore ways to maximize the potential of their data. This session is highly collaborative and encourages participation from researchers from all backgrounds (qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods) and experience levels.